Iron Butterflies
by xScenex
Summary: AU. The light lost the war. Harry is desperate to make things right. To do so, he sent himself back to the time of his childhood, but in the process, landed in a muggle's body. Oh Dear... what's the wizard to do? Shippings Unknown. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies is not mine.

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**SUMMARY: In the end, almost everyone that The-Boy-Who-Lived loved is gone and departed. Harry's becomes desperate to make things right, and in the process of trying to re-do his whole life, he's thrown back in time. Not only is he in a place and time that he vaguely remembered from his childhood, but also, he is now in the body of a muggle man who was supposed to die. So, what's a man to do, when he has an extensive knowledge of the magical world, the future, past, present, and is just supposed to be a normal un-magical muggle? Well, there's only one way to find out!**

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Lunacy Fringe 

Ch.1 -- Prologue

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_When I was younger, all I had ever dreamt about was some unknown relation coming to take me **away**…_

"It's over. They're gone -- they aren't _ever _coming back--"

_Every night as a child, I lie awake, hoping beyond the heavens that there was more to my life than being a **freak**… _

"You're lying! They're aren't gone! They can't be gone!"

_But I was denied any decent **family**…_

"Get a hold of yourself! They're gone, Potter, they're gone."

_And I was denied any other label to be placed under until I found out my **heritage**…_

"NO! YOU LIE!"

_Funny thing is… I resent it much more now. Most people say you get over those small simple **things**…_

"I saw them, Potter. They were as dead as Professor Binns. Just forget them. They were just another face in the crowd--"

_I wish that time could change. Would change… and maybe… just maybe… it **can**…_

"What would you know, Malfoy?"

_If you had the choice to save **someone**…_

"I know more than you think."

_Someone or… some people that **you**…_

"You never had any real friends! You don't know what it feels like to lose someone that you…"

_**Loved**…_

"You don't know me, Potter. So don't pretend that you do."

_Would you rescue **them**…?_

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A/N: Ah… just the beginning of a plot bunny forming under my bed. Since I'm at a friends house, I decided to just add a bit of something I've been thinking of, as I have no time to nor way of updating my other stories. For those of you that are readers of my other stories, if you didn't already know, my home computer has crashed, deleting all of my story files, and deleting all programs in which I was able to write my stories. Until the computer is fixed, I'm unable to update, unless I am at a friends house. I'm not happy about it, but I guess I'll have to deal with it.

Anyways, thanks for reading this! Opinions would be greatly welcomed.

I'm not sure if I want to continue this story, because my other one, WATC isn't that great, and SC is starting to get more and more negative feedback, I'm not too sure of what to think. I'll continue for a few more chapters, then, if the story seems to be a big flop, then I'm going to abandon it -- sadly.

But if a fair few of you guys like the beginning, I'll continue it. Cheers! -Min


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies is not mine.**

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A/N: Ah hah, I got stuck at a friends house because of sleet, so I wrote this while my friend was asleep. I don't know how great it is, but hey, that's why i have you guys! Alright, I'm experimenting with different writing styles.. So if you are confused about anything that I write, just tell me and I'll try to sort it out. The way this is going to be… through most of the story, Harry will be consciously talking in first person between parts of the chapters. So.. Yeah, anyways, Here's chapter two for you guys who've read this so far!

**SUMMARY: In the end, almost everyone that The-Boy-Who-Lived loved is gone and departed. Harry's becomes desperate to make things right, and in the process of trying to re-do his whole life, he's thrown back in time. Not only is he in a place and time that he vaguely remembered from his childhood, but also, he is now in the body of a muggle man who was supposed to die. So, what's a man to do, when he has an extensive knowledge of the magical world, the future, past, present, and is just supposed to be a normal un-magical muggle? Well, there's only one way to find out!

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**Thanks to **dodgeram91, Duos Gurl1, and Angelic Bladez **for the wonderful reviews!

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(I've changed the name of this story.)

Iron Butterflies 

Ch.2

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It was almost over.

Five of the Horcruxes had been destroyed. Providing that Tom Riddle's Diary, and Marvolo Gaunt's ring had been destroyed previously in time, Harry had to only get a hold of the last four.

The first to track down had been Salazar Slytherin's amulet. That, though, Harry realized had been in Grimmauld Place. All he had to do was find Kreacher -- and that hadn't been the easiest task.

After Sirius' death, the Most ancient and noble house of Black had been Handed down to Narcissa Malfoy. But because of the exchange of property, Bellatrix had been living there, hiding out with some other Death Eaters. And Kreacher only knew her as _his master._

All in all, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had snuck into the ancient house and retrieved the amulet from Kreacher's… _nest, _and Harry had given his Godfather's murderer what she deserved -- although she did get away alive.

The second horcrux that they had to find was the trophy cup that had been given to Tom Riddle for special services to the school (which also happened to the one that practically caused Hagrid to be expelled). _That _had been an easy one to find -- but it had proven difficult to destroy. Much research and sleepless nights followed until they found a spell strong enough to destroy it; this caused half of the Gryffindor Common Room to explode.

The third had been Hufflpuff's cup. Harry had to track down, blackmail, and threaten Mundungus Fletcher until the thief gave him the cup.

After those had been destroyed, that left one more to be found and destroyed.

Nagini.

But to find the snake, The-Boy-Who-Lived would have to find Voldemort; and Harry did just that; but he had a little plan up his sleeve, in case all failed.

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"_Crucio_!"

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Diffindo_!"

Harry had tried to dodge the last spell sent towards him, but with his luck, he found himself slamming roughly into a stone wall as the severing spell sliced open his left shoulder. He was tired of playing these _games, _as Voldemort so kindly put it.

He knew he wouldn't make it. His body was exhausted, he was loosing a lot of blood, and his magic was drained.

_But it can't end like this, _Harry thought frantically as he attempted to dodge another _crucio_ thrown his way. _Not here, not now, not like this! If I'm going to die, I don't want it to be because of magical exhaustion and blood loss! I **need **him to use Avada Kedavra!_

"Stupid child. You are no match for me," a cold, sneering voice reverberated around the stone chamber.

Harry clenched his teeth together in anger, keeping himself from saying anything stupid.

"What's wrong, dear Potter? Don't you wish to say your last words before you depart to join your friends?" Unconsciously, tears welled up in the boys emerald green eyes. Cold laugher rang in his ears, "So, boy. How does it feel to be the murderer of your friends? Family, even?"

_How does it **feel**…_

"Don't you dare call me the murderer!"

"Oh? Then who led their friends to their deathbed?"

_To be the **murderer**…?_

"I'm not a murderer! I'm NOT A MURDERER!"

_No… I'm not. Or at least, I don't think I am. The murderer is that **filth**…_

"I'M NOT A MURDERER! I'LL NEVER BE A MURDERER!"

_Voldemort is the filth that has shadowed my **life**…_

"Are you sure about that, Potter?"

_He took away my **parents**…_

"What are you playing at!"

_He took away my Godfather and **friends**…_

"Your death."

_It's funny really… because I still despise him for taking away my **childhood**…_

"Then end it."

_Now, where did that come from? The last time I checked, I wanted to **live**…_

"Fine. _Avada Kedavra_!"

Green light flew towards the boy who hadn't exactly expected it so soon. He had thought Voldemort would play his games for a while longer until he was bored. To be completely honest, Harry had been bluffing, hoping for time -- time for his plan.

Never underestimate an enemy, he learned at that moment. Oh, what would Mad-Eye say?

He wasn't ready for this, he realized, but he had to give his last hope a shot. He always knew that there was a chance that he would lose the final battle between him and the dark lord, but he hadn't exactly thought it to be so soon in his life. He was only twenty-one for crying out loud!

But it was time. As the spell approached him at an alarmingly fast pace, Harry began whispering in parsteltongue an incantation he'd taken a year to find and memorize. This was the trick up his sleeve.

The spell he was trying to use was something that had been forbidden by the founders hundreds of years before. It was considered dark magic, and it was something to not be meddled with. Anything could go wrong with it, and the results could be devastating. But it was all that he had left. If all went well, the incantation would send him back in time into his own body when he was a child. Even though Harry didn't want to be a child again, having to deal with the Dursley's, he was willing to give everyone a second chance at life.

All too soon, the spell hit him, causing his repeated incantation to break off abruptly.

The light enveloped the boy's body, causing him to jerk forward like a rag doll. A loud, whooshing noise erupted in his ears and the light blinded him until all he could see was an eerie, glowing white. He could feel a tug at something inside of him, but it wasn't unpleasant.

The last thing Harry thought before he knew nothing else was, _Damn it! It's too late! The spell wont work now! It needed to be finished… but who am I kidding, did I really think it would work in the first place? _He would have laughed at that, knowing that his luck was a bad as an angry hippogriff. But he briefly felt a sense of loss. _So this is what it's like to die? Mum and dad died like this… so did Cedric, Hermione, and Ginny… It isn't so bad, right? No pain… no nothing… just blinding white light and a tugging sensation. I can rest now, too. No more worries, no more Boy-Who-Lived. More importantly, I'll be with my friends. I'll get back what I lost anyway…_

_**I'll get back what I lost…**_

Is anything that simple?

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"Alrigh' ya' bastard, ya' wanna' play it rough, I'll show ya' rough!"

It was dark, and the surrounding walls of the buildings that enclosed the alleyway caused the air to feel stifled. Four figures were huddled up in the very back, trapping a fifth occupant that stood languidly against the brick wall.

"I din' say I vanted to play it rough," the figure said in a slurred, German accent. "All I said vas tha' I didn't van' none of this beating around the bush shite."

"Who _said _we was 'beating 'round the bush'?" One of the smaller, more ratty looking men asked from the right of the group.

"No one said 'nething about tha', he's just pullin' yer leg," another snapped.

The man with the German accent chuckled unconcernedly, "Could ve just get to the chase, here? Vha' is it tha' ya' vant, ya' damn filthy rats."

"Fine, 'ere's what we wan'," the man who looked like the leader of the group took a step forward, his face mere inches away from the others. "We wan' you to leave this place. You's causin' us a lot of trouble, and we have a feelin' that you's the one tha' killed Danny."

"Oh?" The German man brushed a strand of blond hair from his face, "Any proof?"

There seemed to be a bit of shuffling, then the ratty looking man shoved the blade of a knife towards the German's face. "Reckon tha' this is yer's," he proclaimed.

With a raised eyebrow, the man responded, "Ja, tha's mine alright."

"So ya' be admitting to killin' 'em, then?" Sneered the leader.

"I didn' say that," he slurred slightly, shifting his stance.

"They dun' call you the Winte' Raven fer nothing'," the head of the group snarled. "You killed 'em, and ye know it!"

"I might," the other man said thoughtfully. There was a pause in which it was completely quiet, then he added, "And if I did, vhat vould ya' do about it? I hear that your little group're _against _killing."

"We'll make an exception," yelled the ratty man again, before he lunged forward with the knife.

There were a few outburst and a startled yelp from the German man before the knife flashed dully as it was slashed downwards.

A minute of shuffling, yelling, and utter confusion and chaos, the four men stepped back from the German who lay silently on the ground, unmoving as a pool of blood slowly spread out from underneath him.

"Wha' the hell didja' do, Dagget? Dja' kill 'em fer?"

"I--I--"

"Pick tha' knife up and get yer arses outta' here! Somene' might'a heard the brawl and called the bobbies on us!"

Without needing to be told twice, the men grabbed all evidence of their encounter, except for the lifeless body of the German, and left the alleyway.

As they walked away, they didn't see the blondes body jerk violently for a few seconds before a dull green light enveloped the form and they hardly noticed wind whipping around violently, although they were in an alley. All they cared about was getting out of there, so they were oblivious to the crimson blood disappearing as if it had never been there.

_And looking back… I can't help but wonder… was that **fate**..?_

_Or… was it simply just a slight **coincidence**..?_

* * *

_Swoo-ooosh! Pitter-patter, swoo-ooosh!_

Rain?

_Swoo-ooosh! Pitter-patter, swoo-ooosh!_

Rain and… traffic?

Groggily, a lone figure lying sprawled out on the ground opened his eyes and stared up at a dreary, grey sky above. Drizzle fell from above, coating the alleyway's cobblestone ground and mixing with the trash from the overflowing bins in the back.

It smelled horrid, and the stench of wet dog didn't help to dampen that effect.

Harry Potter groaned loudly as he sat up, feeling as if he were on fire. His body ached, and he thought it a miracle that he was able to move. _Voldemort sure did do a number on me, _he thought to himself, wincing at the thought. _So why didn't he kill me…?_

_But… if I remember correctly, he did kill **me**…_

"He… did kill me," he muttered out loud to himself. "But then… does that mean that the spell worked?"

He used his palms to push himself off of the ground, but stopped before he could fully stand up. His eyes bulged as he stared at his hands -- which were slightly smaller than usual, and extremely tanner. His eyes then traveled up along his right arm, where they locked onto a tattoo of a name… or logo that had somehow mysteriously been etched into his skin.

"Winter Raven?" He stared dumbly at the words that were imprinted into _his _arm before blinking slowly. "Since when did I have this corny name on my arm?"

Harry stood up abruptly and fumbled about in his pockets, looking for his wand so that he could conjure a mirror for himself. He was distressed when he was unable to find his precious wand, and nearly shouted out in frustration.

"Vat the bloody hell happened!"

Harry nearly bolted out of the alley when he heard someone shout from someplace above him, "Shut _up_, you filthy son of a bitch!"

Harry's eyebrows rose at the language being issued at him, and especially at the thick, slurred words. It was obvious that the person was drunk. He decided to not comment, as he could easily be trespassing on someone's property, and if he said anything, he might get in trouble. Not that he really cared.

Just then, he realized a very foreign color of hair dangling in his eyes. He tried to pull it away from his face, but then he realized that it was attached to his skull, indicating that it was his own hair. With wide eyes, he ran his hands along the long, lanky, and very greasy hair that seemed to be a blonde color that would rival Malfoy's. _What the… this isn't my younger self's hair…._

Harry walked over towards one of the trash bins where one of the lids had been knocked over and had collected water. He looked down at the surface and nearly shouted in shock at the person that stared back at him.

Whoever it was had dark, tanned skin, large grey blue eyes, and semi-long blonde hair that looked almost white. The face was very slender compared to his own face with almost a girlish look to it, and the shoulders that slumped forward had a slightly feminine look to them too. Not to mention he actually felt taller than normal. The teen-- no _man,_ looked innocent.

He wasn't even wearing his previous clothing or anything related to what he wore from the Dursley's. At the moment, he was wearing dirty, frayed jeans, and a black tee without sleeves. And he found it odd that he could see at distances just fine without glasses on…

_It's times like these that I wish that Albus were still **alive**…_

Harry jerked away from his reflection, utterly confused and bewildered. He did _not _normally look like that-- and wasn't the spell supposed to take him back in time and throw him into the body of his younger self?

The boy stopped in mid thought as he spotted the date on a newspaper laying on top of a pile of trash. The date clearly said 'July 29th, 1987." and was readable, despite it's damp and rumpled state.

_Well, at least I'm back in time…_

Harry staggered and limped out of the small alley so that he could get a good look at his surroundings. Mad-Eye had always said to analyze the situation first before you act; and since Harry had nothing else to do -- as his wand wasn't to be found -- he would just have to figure out where he was.

The street before him was full of cars zooming here and there, back and forth along the two lane road. It looked as if he were in a large town or maybe even a small city. He wasn't too sure.

It had obviously been pouring outside, since the roads were slick with water and even his own clothing seemed to be drenched. Large puddles of water lay on the sidewalk that wove about the many shops in the surrounding vicinity.

Harry scratched his head slightly, unaware of the cliché way he did it. But Merlin, he was confused! Where had he been taken? More importantly, who was he?

He looked around again, noticing that he'd never seen the place before. It didn't look familiar at all -- except he knew it was somewhere in London; hence the newspaper.

Harry walked forward a bit, trying to take in as much of his surroundings as possible, but because of the drizzle and haze, it was hard to make out things from a distance.

"Ah, screw it," he cursed, then he realized something else that he hadn't noticed earlier. As he spoke, he had a bit of trouble saying some words -- it was as if his accent had changed. He shrugged, then took a deep breath, knowing that he'd find out what had happened sooner of later. It'd be best to just apparate away to someplace a lot safer. It'd save him time, in any case.

Harry slipped back into the shadows of the alleyway and closed his eyes, picturing the outskirts of Hogsmeade village in his mind. He spun on hill, and with a small '_pop!_' he was gone.

* * *

Hogsmeade was the only place that Harry could think of going. Even though Hogwarts hadn't been as safe as said, he still felt the safest around the old building; but as he appeared with a pop on the outskirts of the village, he was startled when he saw that children… or, teenagers, were swarming about the place, laughing and talking to one another without a care in the world.

He hadn't seen anything like that in a long time, except for when he, Hermine, and Ron had gone to a small muggle festival to celebrate the engagement of the other two in the trio. But after that, things had been dark and children were never allowed out on their own.

To just randomly plunge himself into something such as that, was, well, hard to absorb. But all in all, he was just glad to still use magic, as he found his apparating to be slightly draining, but still working full force.

Harry, wandless and not quite ready to approach anyone in his current state, decided to walk around and try to find out some things.

Nearby, there were two girls walking towards the village at a very slow pace. Harry decided to eavesdropped.

"Did you see the _Daily Prophet_ today?" A brunette asked.

The other girl with black hair tied back in a braid giggled, "Yeah. They spotted The-Boy-Who-Lived, again! There was even a picture and everything!"

"Wasn't he so adorable? Wasn't he with his Aunt Petinny, or something? But I didn't fancy the clothing Potter wore that much though, but muggles can be a tad bit on the off side," the other chided.

"I agree…"

Harry couldn't hear any more of their conversation, as they had just left his hearing range.

The Boy-Who-Lived looked around for a moment, then spot the shrieking shack. Unconsciously, he allowed himself to drift towards it, feeling oddly comforted by the place, as it had been the first place he'd met his Godfather at. It used to be a favorite thinking place of his after Albus had died.

He walked up to the fence and lent against it, his forearms resting against the ancient wood as he peered through the many trees to see one of the broken windows of the shack. He sighed slightly, wondering how he would take life now that his plan had semi-worked. He had a lot to re-plan, now that he was back. He smiled wistfully and said in a singsong voice, "What to do… what to do…"

_In the **beginning**… _

_I had so much to live **for**…_

_Then after so long, I felt as if my life were falling **apart**…_

_Then I seemed to give up after the death of my **friends**…_

_That is… until I found out that I had a **chance**…_

_A chance for another **life**…_

_One with more **meaning**…_

_A life that held so many more opportunities for **me**…_

_And the **others**…_

_I thought it would work **right**…_

_But then I should have known **better**…_

_**Now**…_

_I'm **stuck**…_

_In a body foreign to **me**…_

_But this brings even more opportunities, I **realize**…_

_Yes… thinking back, I **know**…_

_**That this was fate.**_

_**

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A/N: Ahhh… there it is, chapter two. Hm… interesting, no? Now, I had to go back and fix a lot of things after I wrote it the first time.. So if some things sound odd, please tell me so I can fix it. Anywho, thanks for reading my story! And.. Now I'm off to go do something else! Take care, everyone. -- Min


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the Harry Potter books and/or movies is not mine.

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A/N: 'Kay, I updated. S'all I have to say at the moment, besides thanks to all who reviewed for my last chapter.

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Iron Butterflies

By:xScenex  
a.k.a. Min

Chapter Three

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Harry Potter was not like himself anymore. No, not one bit.

He looked different, spoke different, and overall -- he was different.

_I am a new **man**. _

"Hey, Vincent, how long will it be until you get back?" a man asked another thin man who had begun walking towards the exit of a large brick building surrounded by dark green lawns.

"I don't know, Steven. I think I might take him out for a few things before ve come back," the other replied in a soft, German accent with a wave of his hand. "I'll see you later."

With that, the man walked out of the door.

This man, known as Vincent Evans, was not really who he appeared to be mentally. In truth, he was just a twenty-three year old man in a twenty-five year old body.

Seriously.

Because Vincent Evans was really Harry Potter of another time.

After getting sent back in time through a spell that he performed poorly, he was now stuck in the body of a man once named Anderson Jenkins -- a street thug who originated in Germany and lived his life by mugging people on the streets. But Harry couldn't very well go about with a reputation like that.

So he had decided to make changes to the body he was in. He had trimmed his hair a bit, so that it framed his slender face, and flared out a bit near the back in messy way. He hadn't been in the sun so much, so the tan he had once adorned was beginning to fade, but his new body's skin was naturally dark, so he wouldn't become too pale. After the few minor changes to his body, he had went about and changed paperwork on himself.

The only way to do that without causing suspicion was to feign amnesia. The story went that he had been in a car accident and after that, he remembered almost nothing of his life, except that his name was Vincent Evans. It was hard to convince authorities of that, as there were originally no papers of his existence, but with a bit of accidental magic and Slytherin cunning, he got by.

All in all had taken Harry two years to get his name completely cleared and change his name to one that would actually suit him. Not to mention that it worked very well with the plan he had in mind. It also helped that Anderson had been an orphan with unknown parents or relatives.

Even more easier than that, was to convince Petunia Dursley that he was a cousin on her fathers side, but then came the hard part.

Harry -- or Vincent as he will be called -- had spoken to Petunia about little Harry. He attempted to sway her so that she would allow him to adopt the boy, but the woman was nervous and confused about what to do because of Dumbledore's earlier orders for the boy to say there.

Vincent wasn't surprised at her reaction -- no one wanted to mess with Dumbledore. But after his constant offers and begs, she decided to hand over the young Potter to the man she thought to be her cousin.

The plan he had in mind was to get Harry in his custody so that he could raise him right. He would prepare the boy for the real world - or as close to it as he could, as he was supposedly a muggle. He would tell the boy that his parents had actually been murdered, instead of killed in a car accident, but wouldn't tell him by whom. That would have to wait.

He wouldn't allow the boy to know about magic, but he wouldn't discourage the idea like his aunt and uncle had done. The younger Harry was going to live life this time, and not hide behind lies.

So now, Vincent was on his way to the Dursley's home to pick up his younger self from the hellhole he remembered to be his 'home'. Driving a black SUV, he turned down the road that led to Privet Drive.

To be honest, he was nervous about meeting his younger self. No matter how many times he went over the whole thing in his head, he just couldn't feel at ease by raising himself. Not that it was a bad feeling - it was just an awkward one. How was he supposed to treat himself? How could he prove himself to himself so that the boy would trust him? .. It was all confusing.

Sighing inwardly, Vincent pulled up to the house with a number four on the front door. It was just as he remembered with it's green lawn, neatly trimmed flower bushes, the same paintjob and curtains in the windows. He had never thought he'd have to see Privet Drive again after his graduation.

He parked the SUV in the driveway and got out, allowing himself to take a deep breath. He needed to calm his nerves down. Smoothing down his shirt, he began walking up the walkway and up to the door. He knocked softly, but loud enough to be heard and waited.

A few seconds later, he heard shuffling coming from down the hallway. The door was soon opened and the bony, thin face of his Aunt appeared in the crack.

"Guten Tag, Petunia," Vincent greeted with a small smile on his face.

The woman's face scrunched up in slight confusion at his accent and words, but none the less nodded and ushered him inside, leading him into the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?" she offered stiffly.

Taking a seat at the table, he replied, "That vould be nice."

After some silence, the two of them were sitting at the table with their tea, lightly chatting. Vincent listened to his Aunt chatter on about her 'precious Duddikin' and how perfect he supposedly was. It took all of his will to keep himself from snorting at her descriptions of the boy.

After a quarter of an hour, he got tired of her rambling and asked, "So, Petunia, how is Harry? I have yet to meet the Junge. Vat is he like?"

Scowling lightly, she said, "Oh, he's just a normal boy. A bit of a trouble-maker if you ask me."

Vincent grinned a bit, "All the more fun, ja?"

She stared at him, ignoring his last sentence all together. Shrugging, Vincent took a sip of his tea and looked around. He felt exceedingly odd, sitting at his Aunt's table and having tea with her. Years ago, he would have thought the idea to be ludicrous.

Not to mention, his Aunt seemed a bit… nicer than he was used to. Maybe it was the fact that she was in company of an adult that she had never actually met - or thought she hadn't anyway - and wanted to make an impression. He also had a slight feeling that anything out of the ordinary that she said about young Harry might be reported to authorities. She was so gullible.

Minutes passed in uncomfortable silence. Vincent shifted in his seat a bit and brushed a few strands of blonde hair out of his face. He glanced at the clock on the far side of the wall and noted that young Harry and Dudley would be home from school any time.

Almost on cue, the front door slammed open and he heard the unmistakable voice of Dudley shout, "MUM! I'M HOME!"

Smiling proudly, Petunia stood up just as Dudley sauntered into the kitchen while struggling to get his backpack off of his arms.

"MUM! I can't get it _off_!"

"Come here, Duddykin's, and mummy will help you."

The older man had to bite his bottom lip to keep himself from bursting out laughing as the large child flapped his arms helplessly and pouted. Luckily, another child walked into the kitchen about the same time and Vincent was able to turn his attention on the other boy.

The other boy was short, with messy black hair that covered his forehead and ears. He wore wire-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, the glossy lenses hiding the bright green eyes that shown out against his pale complexion. The child looked smaller than he actually was, as he wore a shirt that was three sizes too big, and ridiculously baggy jeans that were folded at the bottom several times.

He watched as the small, raven-haired boy shot an annoyed look at Dudley, then an apprehensive look at Petunia, all going unnoticed except by Vincent. Then, getting down on his knee's, Harry pulled his bag off his shoulders and unzipped it. After a few moments of rummaging around in it, he pulled out a small, blue slip of paper and walked up to his Aunt.

"Uhm," he began, nervously shuffling his feet, "The teacher wanted me to give this to you. It's my report card," he stated while looking down.

Petunia glanced at Vincent and stiffly took the paper, all the while trying her hardest to smile at the boy. Harry looked up in time to catch the sour look on her face and that's when he realized that there was a guest with them.

"A-Aunt Petunia, I'm sorry! I didn't- I mean, I didn't see him in here! If I knew, I would've -"

Laughing, the older, blonde man stood up from his seat and walked over to Harry, interrupting him. He knew if he allowed the boy to continue ranting, he'd get upset. Alas, he knew all to well how the boy's emotions played out. Vincent himself was nervous still, but knew that if he didn't do something first, Harry might not trust him.

"Hallo. You must be Harry," he extended his hand out to the boy, who reached out and hesitantly shook hands. "I'm Vincent Evans - your Uncle."

At the confused look on Harry's face, Vincent stood up again and continued, "No doubt, you have no idea who I am. I don't think dear Petunia here knew about me until a few veeks ago."

Taking a seat again, he crossed his right leg over the other and leaned back against the chair. He breathed in heavily. "You know vhy I'm here, don't you Harry?"

The boy shook his head. Vincent had predicted as much. After shooting an unreadable look at the woman who stood nervously a yard away, he looked at Harry straight in the eyes. "I'm here to take you avay. You're coming to live vith me, Harry."

Green eyes widened and a large smile played across pale lips. Vincent smiled serenely at the look on his younger self's face. He knew that it was something amazing to the boy - he remembered quite well that he wanted a family member to come and take him away from the awful house he'd been dumped at.

"Live with you?" he questioned quietly.

Nodding, the blonde gestured around the kitchen slightly, "Yes, you vill live vith me- A few veeks ago, your aunt signed a paper that gave me custody over you. I figured you vould have known by now, but it's okay."

Petunia bit her lip and Vincent smirked. He loved making the woman who had tormented him when he was younger uneasy. "Now, if you vould get your stuff, Harry, ve vill be going."

The boy nodded excitedly and ran out of the room, his backpack forgotten. Vincent leaned over and picked the bag up, setting it down on the table. The blue report card lay on top of it, so he picked it up and read it.

He glanced at the grades printed in ink and scowled a bit. He remembered quite well that that was the year his grades had been better then Dudley's and had been punished for it. Luckily, things would turn out different this time around.

"So," Vincent said after silence had penetrated the entire room after Dudley had wandered off to play video-games. "Vhy vas it that you didn't tell the Junge about vhat vas going on?"

"I- well, it just never came up," Petunia replied slowly. "I couldn't just tell the boy."

"And vhy not? Vhouldn't it be simple to just sit him down and explain the situation to him?"

"Yes, well…" the woman hesitated, trying to find the right words. "I never thought of that."

Vincent pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment before waving her off. "Vat is done is done. No use is thinking anymore about it. Vhere is Harry's room? I vould very much like to check up on him."

"Upstairs - the second door on the left is his room," she said quietly.

Slightly amused, Vincent stood up. He found it odd that Harry still didn't live in the cupboard, but it actually made sense. His Aunt wouldn't want him to find the boy living under the cupboard under the stairs.

So, Vincent trudged upstairs and found the room that he had once lived in. Knocking lightly on the door and then crossing his slender arms across his chest, he waited until Harry opened the door.

He was greeted with a large smile and was childishly pulled inside of the small room. Looking around, he noted that the room was very empty.

"Vhere are all of your toys?" he asked, deciding to provide the roll of a parent now that he was the guardian of the child.

Looking a bit confused, Harry told him, "I never had any."

Vincen't eyebrows rose in questioning, but he knew that it was the truth. "And vhy is that?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders a bit and bounced over to his dressers to empty them out into a plastic trash-bag on his bed, "Because they're for Dudley."

Vincent didn't say anything to that, and instead walked over to where the child had hastily thrown things in the bag. He was actually a bit surprised that the boy hadn't asked more questions of why he was leaving. Maybe it was just excitement that he was leaving the Dursley's.

"Do you have any questions of vhere you're going, Junge?"

Harry turned around and cocked his head to the right, "Junge?"

"Ah," Vincent smiled a bit in amusement. "Pardon me, I get ahead of myself. You don't know German, as I forget often."

"German? Does that mean you live in Germany?" Harry asked excitedly.

"No, I used to, but not anymore. I live in London - actually, I live at a clinic that helps kids. You vill be staying there vith me."

Harry looked a bit confused by this. "With other kids? Why?"

Vincent lent forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He rested his chin against his hands and fixed Harry with a soft stare, "I vork at a place that helps abused children, or children who have problems."

"But why will I live there?" Harry asked, walking over to where Vincent sat. "Is there something wrong with me?"

The older man laughed loudly and sat up straight. "Nein, you are perfectly fine. It's just that since I live there, you vill live there too. You can be my assistant if you vant."

"Assistant?" Harry repeated, testing the word out on his tongue. He seemed to like it and grinned. "I'll help!"

"Great," the blonde smiled.

Harry giggled and Vincent sent him a questioning glance. Harry smiled broadly and announced, "You have a funny voice."

Vincent laughed and stood up, wrapping a slender arm around the boy's shoulders. "I can tell ve vill get along great."

* * *

After bidding Petunia farewell, Harry and Vincent piled into the SUV. Harry was excited to be leaving and going somewhere else, and it was obvious that the younger boy really admired the older man. Vincent couldn't seem to shake him off now, but he found that he liked the attention from his younger self.

After driving for about half an hour, Vincent glanced over at Harry and asked, "I think it is time for you to get some new clothing, ja?"

"Clothes?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

"Ja," Vincent said again. "The ones you're veering don't suit you very well."

"But - you don't have to. I mean, you'd just be wasting money-"

"Nein, I vouldn't. I vant to buy you new clothes. I am, after all, your new guardian." The blonde grinned brightly. "And I'm in need of some new clothes as well."

Harry seemed a bit uncomfortable at the idea of shopping for himself, but deep down inside, Vincent knew he was pleased. Hell, even he had been pleased when someone had bought him something. The first time anyone ever had was when Hagrid bought Hedwig for him.

Soon after the small conversation, the two found themselves walking into the doors of a clothing store. The clerk greeted them with the usual false cheerfulness and asked them if they needed assistance, but Vincent waved her off.

He lead Harry over to the children's section and started to search for things he knew the boy would like. They would, of course, have the same taste - even though he now preferred the more mature clothing, and after a while, Harry and Vincent were both satisfied by the selection of clothing picked out for the boy.

The clothing consisted of several shirts, mostly dark green or black, a few of them red and one white. A few had logo's on them, while others were plain. He also purchased four pairs of blue jeans, a pair of children's slacks, and two pairs of shorts for the boy. Three jumper, a jacket, and four pairs of pajama's followed, along with socks and undergarments, and a pair of dress shoes and trainers.

Shortly after that, Vincent found a few shirts and pairs of pants to his own liking, and added it to Harry's stuff before going to pay for it all.

"How vould you like to get something to eat before ve head home, ja?" Vincent stated as they walked out of the store, hands full of bags.

"Really?" Harry asked, "I've never been out to eat before. I always just ate what was cooked at the Dursley's."

"Vell, things are going to change, now that you're living vith me," Vincent grinned and jerked his head slightly to the side, trying to get hair out of his face as the wind blew them about.

"Where are we going to eat?" Harry asked him as he put a few bags in the back seat.

"No vhere expensive - I can't stand rich food. I think something fast, simple, and decent vill do."

And so, after driving about a bit, Vincent found a nice fast-food restaurant and for the first time, Harry 'ate out' while the two of them talked and got to know each other a bit more.

For Harry, that day was a dream come true. For Vincent - that day was the beginning of a new future.

* * *

The sky was dark now, and the lot lights were shining through the windows of the vehicle. Vincent watched as Harry breathed in lightly in his slumber, his head resting against the passenger side window, a content smile playing against his lips.

He couldn't help it - Vincent smiled at the scene. He didn't really think of Harry as himself - to be honest, he really thought of him as just another individual. Throughout the day, the boy had grown on him, although he knew it was only because the boy was really himself.

But the way Harry looked up at him, hope and happiness shining in his eyes - no one had ever looked at him like that. Ever. It was something new to him, and he found that he liked it, as odd as it sounded.

He opened the door on his side of the car and got out, stretching slightly. His back hurt a bit from sitting for so long, but he shrugged it off. He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door slowly, waking Harry up in the process.

"Ve are home, Harry," he said gently. "I'll take you inside, and show you your room so that you can sleep."

The child nodded sleepily and attempted to rub the tiredness out of his eyes. He unbuckled himself and got out of the SUV, stumbling a bit. Smiling, Vincent bent over and picked the child up.

Despite his build, Vincent was quite strong. The other employee's that he worked with sometimes made fun of him because of his feminine looks. He didn't like them that much, and often wished that he had his old body back. He didn't like the fact that he looked like a girly boy.

The clinic's halls were deserted at that time of night, as most of the children and adults were settling in for bed or having 'T.V. time'. Vincent took Harry to his quarters located near the back of the building, right next to his.

The room was larger than the one he owned at the Dursley's, and was furnished much better than the other. The carpet was a cream color, and the walls were a light, powder blue. There was a twin bed in one corner next to the window, a dresser across from it, a bedside table and closet beside the bed, and a mirror near the door.

Overall, it was decent. Vincent pulled the covers back on the bed and lay Harry on it. The boy had fallen asleep again during the walk, and the older man couldn't help but smile once more. But the smile faded slightly when the thoughts of the future drifted into his mind.

He slipped the boys shoes off, and then tucked him in.

He only wished that life would be a lot simpler this time around then it had been the first time. He couldn't bare to go along with everything again - it would be just too much to handle.

* * *

A/N: Ah. Finally, I got a chapter up. I decided that I couldn't just wait until I finished SC to update and went ahead and posted a chapter. Just don't expect another one so soon, although I will try to get another one up within a week or two. I hate not updating - it makes me feel bad. But yes, I will do my best to keep this up to date and update more frequently. I'm getting close to finishing my SC story, so this will be updated a bit more, along with WATC. Also: it's been a while since I've updated this, as you know, and I'm sort of wary about what I've written in this chapter. I feel that I've left a lot out, so if you feel that it's incomplete, please tell me what you think is wrong with it and I'll deal with it to change it. - Min 


	4. Author's Note

Okay guys. I know I haven't updated this story in a long time, and I'm still not. This is just a note:

**At this moment, the story has been abandoned until further notice.** I love this story, and that's why I began writing it, but I'm too caught up in things in my life and I'm working hard on my first stories first. I just recently finished my Seasons Change story, and I dearly hope I can finish Where are the Children soon so that I may be able to finish this, while also continuing to write Preternatural with my friend. This fic wont be abandoned forever, but it will be on hold… for a while.

But, **I have an offer! **If anyone is interesting in writing their own version of _my _story, you may do so as it's up for grabs at the moment. Well, sort of anyways. If anyone is interested in writing _their own _version of this, please tell me and I'll give you some information on it. But please, give me credit, as I will be continuing this story and I don't want them to think that I'm copying - no offense, but I do take pride in my plots, even if they are a bit overused. I'm not too sure if this one is, but meh.

Also, to WhiteTwitch, I will still use your character in my story when I do continue it. Hell, I might even get bored of my other story and write a chapter for this later on. But until I say anything else on the matter, I will not be updating this. I even had half the next chapter written, so even I don't know how things will go. Just wish me luck?

Thanks to you all, and I'm dearly sorry for this. - Min


	5. Author's Note 2

Okay. Due to reasons, I have decided that I may just continue this story (Mainly forWhiteTwitch andbecause after I toldthe author I'd continue it, Ispoke to another author and made a betterplot)- but not with the exact original plot. I'm handing over the original plot to CrymsonTear, so if you wish to read on with that, she should have the first chapters up or whatever soon.

For me - I'm continuing this, but with a different plotline. Not completely different, as it will still have the same concept of Harry falling back in time, but it _will_ be different. I spoke to a fellow author on this site last night, known as Disabled-Cloud-Flyer, and she helped me plot out a very good storyline, in my opinion. We are still discussing it, but most of it has been mapped out. Credit for the story will not fully go to me, as she helped me greatly with its plotline. Go check out her stories. : D

I will not be puttingthe new storyon this fic, though. I will just make a new story on my profile and delete this one probably whenever CrymsonTear finishes getting what I've already written. So check it out if you want. I'll also give you a slight summary for the story:

AU. The light has failed - even after Voldemort is destroyed. There are still evil forces lurking aboutat the battlefield.Harry has plans - plans that involve going back in time to his younger self's body, but he's not the only one with a simular idea. Using an ancient, last resort spell, he attempts his travel through time - but something is interferring. As a result, he's thrown back in time - but not into his body and without his memory. Confused and in a muggle body, the ex-wizard attempts finding out about his past and runs into his younger self, causing a feeling of Deja Vu to bring up some rather unpleasant memories. Upon finding out about the child's past, he finds the only way possible to get the child into his care and away from his abusive relatives.But someone's not happy about this - neither is their brother. Join Harry through the new adventure as he realizes that there were many more secrets and dark matters that had been kept from him... and it could just cost him and his younger self's lives... Slash pairing, indefinate ending yet to be made. Older!HarryxOC pairing. No Marry Sue's or Gary Stue's. Possible sequal.

Authors: xScenex and Disabled-Cloud-Flyer  
Rating: Teen as of yet  
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama,almost nonexistentRomance, and maybe a bit of Tragedy  
Length: About Novel size?More than ten chapters, that's for sure.  
Characters: Harry, Voldemort, Dumbledore, OC's, Possible Hogwarts Students. Probably more but those are the main ones at the moment.  
Additonal notes: The only reason this will have slash is because a friend of mine asked me to make it so. It wont be anything graphic. I'll keep it to a minimum for the slash dislikers. I'm not too keen on it myself, but I made a promise to do it and I'm not backing down.

I hope you guys will like the new story, but in case you don't like the idea of a Harry/OC pairing, you may read CrymsonTear's version of it. I've said that like, four times, but I want to make sure youknow.I will more than likely be beta'ing the chapters she writes, so it should sound about the same as what I already have written. I'm such a busy person, huh?

Anyways, thanks for the support, and I will get the next story up soon. I will put a post up on this story when I get the first part up. -- Min


	6. Author's Note 3

I've started the re-write already. It's under 'Iron Butterflies The Rewrite'

I've only got the epilogue part up, but I should have the first, NEW chapter up soon. CrymsonTear should be updating whereI left off (with my old plot) soon. Thanks for your patience.- Min


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